Preventing Infections Flashcards
What did Ignaz Semmelweis discover?
Semmelweis discovered that childbed fever, a disease that had been killing women after they gave birth, was spread by doctors not sanitising after dealing with corpses
What did Louis Pasteur discover?
Louis Pasteur discovered microorganisms caused disease, and developed vaccines to combat them.
What did Joseph Lister discover?
Joseph Lister discovered antiseptic chemicals could be used to destroy pathogens before they caused infections.
What helped people be convinced pathogens were really there?
The improvement of microscopes helped people see pathogens clearly.
How can hygiene prevent the spread of pathogens?
Hand washing, using disinfectants, food hygiene, coughing/sneezing into a covering of some kind, keeping agricultural machinery hygienic
How can isolating infected individuals prevent the spread of pathogens?
Isolating people prevents the spread of pathogens as the pathogens can’t be passed on, and so are left to die out on the singular host.
How can destroying or controlling vectors prevent the spread of pathogens?
Vectors are external forces that carry pathogens from host to host, such as mosquitoes, houseflies and aphids. Destroying them removes their ability to do this, and controlling them can keep it contained.
How can vaccination prevent the spread of pathogens?
By being injected with vaccines which carry dead or inactive traces of the pathogen your immune system can learn to create the necessary antibodies to counter the antigen of the live pathogen once it encounters it.
